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The flames destroyed a vacant building and damaged a nearby restaurant.

Calvin Mitoulas, 18, of Goffstown, has been charged with felony arson and witness tampering.

It took nearly five months to name Mitoulas, and a cellphone was the key to identifying him.

“We got information about a cellphone that was found at the scene,” said Capt. Kerry Steckowych. “We tracked information they gave about who the owner was and began seeing who they might hang with and began talking to a group of individuals who had been in the building the day before, most of them juveniles, and they gave us pretty much a roadmap to what went on the night before.”

The former location of Jutras Signs had been abandoned for two years.

According to town documents, an auto parts store submitted plans to build a new location at the site, but construction never began.

“The building was kind of being used as an informal club house for different young folks in the area,” Steckowych said. “They go in there just exploring. They might sneak some beer in there or might sneak some cigarettes or whatever, so it was a place of interest for a lot of kids.”

Police said they don’t believe the fire was intentional but, rather, reckless.

In addition to damaging the restaurant next door, the fire put other nearby businesses at risk.

“If the wind had come this way, we would have been (in trouble),” said Haley Lindh, of Jacques’ Flower Shop, located across the street. “Our whole wall is windows. You could feel the heat coming in.”

Mitoulas is free on personal recognizance bail. Police said he will be arraigned in the next couple weeks.